Memories from the Past
by kitoyisme
Summary: Ryoma is secretly inlove with his childhood best friend! And he hasn't realized it until 10 years from whence they met! Is it too late already?
1. By The Old Oak Tree

**Memories from The Past**

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**I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS HERE THAT YOU SEE ON POT... I JUST MERELY 'BORROWED' THEM... HEHEHE... :D BOTTOM LINE: I DON'T OWN THEM...**

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This is really my first work ever... and I'm so happy I had one... even if it's just only one... :D hehehe... :D I'll try updating this more and more often... :D  
I do hope you'll enjoy this... :D

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**Chapter 1: By The Old Oak Tree**

_Back when Ryoma was still at his teenage years, he always portrays a very arrogant attitude towards all things. He lives up to that reputation since he likes to see how superior others thought of him whenever he would fortunately pass them by. However, because of that reputation of his, he made no friends at all. Well, except for someone. It's quite amazing how their friendship started. It was while they were having their lunch break; Ryoma was sitting alone in one table, as usual. Then, all of the sudden..._

"_Excuse me. Is someone sitting beside you?" asked the stranger who was as tall as he is._

_Ryoma portrayed an arrogant look that means the stranger should buzz off of him._

"_Hmmm... I guess that would be a 'No'... May I?" The stranger asked innocently._

_Ryoma glared at the stranger, but then, he noticed that the stranger's eyes were closed the whole period of their so-called 'conversation'. Ryoma hesitantly agreed knowing that he would sit down already._

"_Thanks! It's so hard to find a seat in this crowded cafeteria. By the way, I'm Syusuke Fuji, transferee-2__nd__ grade-class D." Syusuke stretched out a hand while smiling._

"_Ryoma Echizen." Ryoma grumbled without returning a handshake._

_Syusuke just retreated his hand, pasted a smile on his face and just said, "Ok, Ryoma. Let's be friends."_

"_And if I don't want to?" Ryoma confronted Syusuke._

"_Then I'll just have to pour something you wouldn't like on that food of yours and make you eat it." Syusuke sadistically threatened while smiling._

_Ryoma noticed that Syusuke's eyes are wide open to reveal his beautiful blue eyes. He also feels the intensity of the aura around him. Scared for his life, he readily agreed to be Syusuke's friend._

_Within just a span of a couple of weeks, they have been comfortable with each other. Ryoma shows gentleness only to Syusuke while Syusuke presents his soft sides only to Ryoma. They have become really good friends that support each other. _

_Yes, they had fights and quarrels. Sometimes, they end up not speaking to each other. However, after the end of the day, they would just kiss and make-up, like nothing happened._

_A few months later, Syusuke's family have to move to Osaka. Before Syusuke's departure, he and Ryoma, since Ryoma was already attached to Syusuke like how a friend is, made a promise that they will never forget one another. And with that promise, they buried something on the old Oak tree, the place where they usually played and hang out._

"_Promise me you will return!" Ryoma demanded to Syusuke._

"_I promise. I'll come back for you." _

_There was a pause of silence. _

_Then, all of the sudden, Syusuke reached for Ryoma's head and kissed him right into the mouth. Ryoma was shocked at it, but what really shocked him more was the fact that he didn't reject the kiss; instead, he participated in it and even tilted his head a little to the side to grant more access for Syusuke's tongue. The kiss lasted very long, and then Syusuke broke it._

_Syusuke held Ryoma's head close so that the each of their foreheads is touching one another._

"_I'll be back, Ryoma. I promise!" Their eyes are already acting like faucets as tears flow from them. They wept in tranquillity, knowing that one day; their paths are once again going to meet._

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_10 years later_

Ryoma, now 27 and has become a very attractive man, runs a fast-food chain with many branches spreading throughout the whole Japanese main land. He's had a very tight schedule balancing his work with other things in life that needed attention.

Scanning through his books in his library, his eyes caught the sight of his yearbook while he was still studying high school. He dusted off the dirt that settled on the book and flipped open to a number of random pages.

As he was scanning through his book, he remembered something that brought him to a complete halt. He remembered something that made him panic abruptly.

He rushed to check his appointment schedule to see that he doesn't have anything more to do for the rest of the week. He quickly rushed to his car and has his driver rush.

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_Somewhere else_

"Tezuka! We're going to be late! Please do move fast!" Tezuka's wife pleaded.

"Wait. I'll just get this tie done."

"TEZUKA! YOU'RE SO SLOW! MOVE FASTER!" Tezuka's wife bursted into anger.

"COMING!!"

They quickly seated themselves comfortably on their car waiting outside and went off heading towards the blue mansion beside a lake.

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Still somewhere else

"Father? Where are we going?" A young boy asked his father as they were headed to a hill with an old Oak tree standing mightily on top of it.

"I just want to see something on top of that hill." The father said with a smile at his son.

"Is it really important, father? My legs are really hurting me."

"Don't worry. The car's just parked on the other side of that small hill. After I find what I'm supposed to find, we'll head back to our home." He reassured his son brown haired son with a smile.

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'He must've forgotten our promise.' Ryoma thought as his car was skimming over the road towards his destination.

"Sir Echizen, we've arrived already." Ryoma's driver informed.

Ryoma didn't hear his driver. He spotted something or SOMEONE on top of the hill where an old Oak tree stood firmly. He hurriedly, but carefully scurried towards the dark figure on top the hill. As he neared by the man, he distinguished that light-brown hair of a man from his past – Syusuke Fuji.

'This can't be!' Ryoma thought. 'If this is really Syusuke that means he had shrunk from when we've last seen each other!'

Ryoma reached for the guy's shoulder. The guy turned to face Ryoma. Ryoma examined the facial features of the guy he is facing. No doubt! This really is Syusuke!"

"SYUSUKE?! IS THIS REALLY YOU?!" Ryoma shook the stranger roughly.

"No, he's not." A very familiar voice sounded at the back of Ryoma that sent Ryoma's spines chilling.

"Father!" The guy that Ryoma just shook a while ago called out loud and ran towards the big figure at the back.

Shakily, Ryoma turned around. He saw two figures hugging each other; one was definitely taller as the earlier guy was just at the level of shoulders. Ryoma couldn't say anything; he just froze in his spot until the two people stopped their cuddling.

"It's been a very long time, Ryoma. How have you been?" The bigger one asked with a smile.

"Syu-ss-Syusuke?" Ryoma asked shakily.

Syusuke smiled and nodded signifying that Ryoma is correct.

There was a long moment of pause between the two that the only audible sound they can hear is the tweeting of the birds and the rustling of the wind among the bushes and trees.

Syusuke decided to break the silence and asked Ryoma if he still has something to do for the rest of the day. "Nope. Finished everything for the rest of the week already. Who's that?" Ryoma asked pointing to the younger Syusuke.

"He's my son, Miyazaki Fuji. Still approaching first year. If you don't have any prior agenda, would mind if I'll ask you to come with us to our home?"

Ryoma didn't reply. He just followed Syusuke and his son to their car parked below the hill. Since his car was still waiting for him, he just sent the car away and went directly to Syusuke's car.

Pulling over Syusuke's house, the three headed their way inside. Syusuke sent Miyazaki to his room to take a bath and sleep early.

"Ryoma, how have you been doing during these past few years?" Syusuke asked as he was getting something to drink on the fridge.

"Fine. I've been successful in establishing my own business firm. You? How have you been?" Ryoma asked as he received the Ponta grape juice on Syusuke's fridge.

"Made a few turns here and there. But don't get me wrong, I'm still happy about my life." Syusuke said while trying to lighten up the mood.

"Tell me about Miyazaki." Ryoma demanded.

"What can I tell you about him? Um... wait... He studied on a private school while he was still on elementary. He then transferred to..."

"No! Not that! How did you become his father?" Ryoma interrupted.

"Ooh... that... Well, I met this lovely lady once on a cruise ship. I really like her. She gave me happiness beyond measure. She became my girlfriend for 5 years before we got married." Fuji narrated.

"If you two were married, where is she now? Shouldn't she be with you?" the confused Ryoma asked.

Then silence came, a long silence of nothing. No movement. No sound. Clearly, Ryoma has triggered something on Syusuke that made him very emotional. He went in front of Syusuke and knelt. He just comforted his childhood friend with a hug.

When they broke apart of each other, he sees Syusuke's cheeks wet with the tears he couldn't keep hold of. Ryoma wiped the tears away to see Syusuke smile.

"You alright?" Ryoma tried to sound so caring.

"Yeah... I'm fine. It's just, she died giving birth to our one and only son." Fuji finally answered Ryoma's question.

Realising the trouble that he brought, Ryoma comforted his friend once more, but not with a hug. He moved in with a kiss towards Syusuke's soft lips. Syusuke felt his heartbeat pounding faster and stronger.

They were passionately sparring tongues with each other. Syusuke didn't feel emo as of the moment. He even moved in to attack Ryoma who's currently kneeling in front of him. Syusuke has been on top of Ryoma until there was a knock on the door. This broke the kiss apart.

"I'll get that one." Ryoma volunteered as he stood up to open the door and Syusuke sat straight on the couch.

Ryoma opened the front door and was shocked at the sight of an old acquaintance.

"Tezuka?! What are you doing here?!" Ryoma asked shockingly.

"Ryoma?! What are YOU doing here?! And where's Fuji?!"Tezuka fired the question back at Ryoma.

"You two seems to know each other." Syusuke laughed lightly though he could feel the tension between the two of them.

"Oh, hell we do!" The two of them replied softly at the same time.

"What if we'll just talk about it over dinner?" Syusuke suggested. He didn't wait for any reply, though. He just smiled at both of them then went off to prepare dinner. "Please do sit down on the sofa and be comfortable while I'll prepare our dinner."

The two did sit down at the sofa but they don't feel comfortable as of the moment, not when the other is sitting near him. There was a very awkward silence on the Fuji manor's living room. They both stare at each other's eyes like a killer waiting for the right moment to strike.

Syusuke called the two of them signifying that dinner is served and everything was ready to be gulped up. The two readily followed to the dining room. Syusuke was quite a good cook. He could prepare sumptuous meals in just a short amount of time. But even the good food didn't make Ryoma or Tezuka talk. Actually, only Syusuke did all the talking, and wasn't quite happy about it.

After eating, Ryoma said his good-bye only to Syusuke and departed with Syusuke escorting him to his front gate. Ryoma already has his driver in front of the gate of the Fuji manor.

"Now, Tezuka, how did you get to know Echizen?" Syusuke asked Tezuka with eyes wide open.

"We slept together the night after you left." Tezuka answered while lowering his head signifying humiliation.

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Do please send me a review... you know... so i can improve my literary skills... if i even have one... lol... :D

UPDATED: Sorry for the horizontal rulers... there seems to be something wrong about it... i couldn't remove them... I mean... I can

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	2. The 10 Years That Passed

**Memories from The Past**

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**I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS HERE THAT YOU SEE ON POT... I JUST MERELY 'BORROWED' THEM... HEHEHE... :D BOTTOM LINE: I DON'T OWN THEM...**

This is it!! the update!! bwahaha... :)) :D nothing much in this chapter... just how Tezuka and Ryoma met... :D hehehe... :D

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Chapter 2: The 10 Years That Passed

After Ryoma and Syusuke said their good-byes to each other on the old Oak tree and Syusuke's car disappeared on the horizon, it started to rain. Ryoma just sat down on one of the roots of the tree and wept silently.

He didn't feel the rain anymore. He thought that he has become numb of any emotions because of Syusuke's departure. That was what he thought until he sees one pair of shoes in front of him.

"Don't take it too hard. He'll be back and you know it." A voice tried to cheer Ryoma.

"Who're you?"

"Kunimitsu Tezuka."

"Ryoma Echizen. What are you doing here?"

"Just passed by, then I saw you. You better go home and fix yourself before you get any cold. Would you like to pay a visit to ours?"

"Thanks for the offer, but..."

"So it's settled then, come now. Let's go to ours." Tezuka held Ryoma's hand firmly and started dragging him towards his nearby house.

When the both of them arrived at Tezuka's abode, Tezuka led Ryoma to his bed and covered him with a thick blanket and quickly prepared a hot compress for his visitor and some spare clothes that he can lend. He nursed Ryoma until he fell asleep.

Ryoma was furious when he woke up early next morning. He was bear naked and had red markings on his neck and chest area. At first, he thought that it's just bugs and pests that bit him and that Tezuka had to wipe his body with the hot compress, but then he saw a naked Tezuka lying beside him. He quickly and noisily wore his clothes that woke Tezuka up from his sweet slumber.

"Leaving all of the sudden?" Tezuka asked with an evil grin.

"Shut up! How could you do such a thing?!" Ryoma rampaged loudly.

"I know you liked it as much as I do, Ryoma. You don't have to lie to yourself."

Tezuka stood up to grab Ryoma by the arm and pulled him towards himself in sweet embrace. Ryoma forcibly escaped from the embrace and threw Tezuka to the bed. He rushed to the front door and ran towards his home. He wept silently in his room. He called Syusuke's name out loud, but no one answered him. He called out for help but no one came to save him from the disaster that has befallen unto him.

He wasn't the same person after that day. He became gloomy and moody. His eyes were filled with anger and hatred as he watches every person he meets his eyes with.

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_One week later..._

"Class, even though it's the third quarter already, we will be welcoming a new classmate of yours." Mr. Tokinada announced to Ryoma's class with a big smile. "Please welcome, Kinimitsu Tezuka."

With the sound of that name, Ryoma's attention was fully focused on the door with shocked eyes. Glaring at the person behind the door, he's speculation was confirmed. It is Tezuka. The Tezuka that made him the way he is right now. The Tezuka that destroyed his personality. The Tezuka that raped him.

Ryoma glared at the new student as he introduced himself in front of the class and took the seat beside Ryoma's. He could hear a faint 'Hello' and see a very evil grin from Tezuka. He tried covering the blush that involuntarily grew on his soft, peachy cheeks by turning his face away from Tezuka and towards the papers he is answering in front of him. But to his dismay, Horio, Ryoma's seatmate, has seen Ryoma's internal reaction towards Tezuka and bit his lips to give a chuckle instead of a loud laugh. Ryoma returned him a sharp look as if saying to shut up. Horio got the message and stopped his giggling before anyone else notices.

Lunch break came and Ryoma ate at his usual seat, which is the corner table with 4 seats. Eating all alone, his mind wondered off from his appetite to the image of his usual seatmate during lunch, Syusuke. Ryoma released a soft sigh and called out Syusuke's name faintly enough so that only he can hear it.

"Hmmmmm... I see that you're still contemplating on your friend's departure." Tezuka said smiling at Ryoma.

"Scram." Ryoma turned his face away from Tezuka while telling him to go away.

"Yeah, well, you can't change the fact that I'll be sitting here." And he did sit down. He sat on Ryoma's left, the place where Syusuke always sit when he was still studying with Ryoma. Irritated at Tezuka's shitty attitude, Ryoma walked out of the cafeteria with his meal still intact and untouched. Tezuka merely smirked at the sight of Ryoma's pissed state. He then dug up his meal.

Having himself walk out of the cafeteria, Ryoma went towards the school garden, the place where he would always find Syusuke. As he walked by the garden, he recalls numerous times wherein he would call out Syusuke's name and Syusuke would stand up from behind a bush holding a camera and smiled his sweetest smile to Ryoma. Ryoma would always freeze at the sight of those smiles; his heart would melt at the sound of Syusuke's voice calling out his name sweetly. His smiles were ecstasy; the sweetest smiles that you'll ever see in your entire life, and Syusuke only shows these smiles to Ryoma. Ryoma would only stand there watching as Syusuke takes a few more shots and advances towards him. Ryoma would snap out of his day-dreaming Syusuke would grab him by the hand and drag him towards the cafeteria.

But only this time, there won't be any Syusuke that would stand up on the bush, no Syusuke that would smile to him, no Syusuke that would grab him by the hand and drag him towards the cafeteria. No Syusuke, no matter how loud or how many times he would call out the name.

"Syusuke..." Ryoma faintly said such that only he could hear it.

"It's ok, Ryoma. Everything will be alright." Tezuka said trying to restrain himself from laughing.

"And what's so funny about it?"

"Oh nothing, I just remembered something much like this back in Osaka." Tezuka just couldn't hold it anymore, he burst out laughing. But all of the sudden, Tezuka fell on the floor terribly; Ryoma punched him on the cheeks forcefully.

"FUCK OFF!!" Ryoma was furious. He was going to explode more violently if not Tezuka hadn't left the garden. He was fire red with anger towards Tezuka. He knew that he could kill that bastard if he had stayed and pissed Ryoma some more.

At the peak of his anger, Ryoma felt a soft tap on his shoulders. He turned his face around and was shocked at what he sees. 'Are my eyes deceiving me? Could it be truly you, Syusuke?' Without any second thought or the like, Ryoma hugged the figure, tightly.

"Echizen? Are you alright?" That wasn't Syusuke's voice. Syusuke has a more melodious voice than that one. Realising that it isn't Syusuke that he's squeezing right now, he quickly pushed the unknown person away.

"HORIO?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Ryoma shockingly asked.

"I've seen you walk out of the cafeteria with your food untouched. You seemed you need a friend. What's happening, Echizen? You've only been like this when that old dude, Tezuka, came! What's happening to you?! You're not like this whenever Fuji was here!" Horio shakes Ryoma for answers.

Ryoma firmly grasped Horio's broad shoulders hardly telling him to stop shaking him. "Horio, nothing is wrong with me. If there is, you will be the first one to know." Ryoma reassured with a smile.

"You know what Echizen, Fuji really did a great job in changing your attitudes. I remember you as the person with killing eyes. Well, that was back when you still didn't know about Fuji." Horio smiled as he spoke out loud his observation upon Ryoma. Ryoma, quite shocked at what Horio's observation revealed about his change, hurriedly ran towards their classroom, since they're already 5 minutes late.

With Horio around as a fill-in-the-blank answer for Syusuke, Ryoma turned back to his smiley face again. Tezuka's annoyance of Ryoma seems to be more and more effective when each day comes, but Horio is always around to calm Ryoma down. Horio always thought of Ryoma as something more than friends, but he knew, even if Ryoma wouldn't say it, Ryoma is in love with Syusuke. Knowing that the happiness of his beloved Ryoma lies in the hands of Syusuke, he let Ryoma go, promising to be his comrade always.

The day for Syusuke's arrival is fast approaching, and when that day comes, Ryoma would welcome him back with open arms.

--

"Is that it?" Syusuke asked while closing his eyes while walking away the door and towards the sofa.

"You seem so relaxed. Don't you care for his virginity or anything?" Tezuka's confused eyes met Fuji's clear blue one's on the sofa. He moved in closer to him.

When they sat at the sofa, Fuji reached his hands to the hair of Tezuka and reeled him in for a kiss. They passionately fought tongue-to-tongue until Fuji broke it apart for the lack of air. After a short moment, Fuji pulled Tezuka again towards him until their noses are roughly 8 centimeters apart. "I'm more concerned about your impurity." Fuji smirked and gave Tezuka a French kiss, a kiss he reserved for 10 years.

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**That's it everyone!! hahah... hope you enjoyed this chapter... :D well... i did had fun writting... and i hope that you had fun reading!! :D please review, i need to see where i suck so i can improve it... (starting to work on chapter 3)**

Changed: sorry for the horizontal rulers... I'll not use them anymore... darn it... :)


	3. Emotions

**Memories from The Past**

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Hey people! I've finished a nice chapter! hahaha... :D I was motivated by a friend... :D I wouldn't use any horizontal ruler anymore... since whenever I do add a horizontal ruler... It ends up in the wrong place and my story goes hay-wired!! hahaha... :D

Thanks to those people who reads and supports this story... review or not review (but i do appreciate it even more if you do... bwahahaha... :D) as long as you like it... I'm really happy about it... :D

Well... this is a really nice chapter... :D if ever you'll notice that the characters in the story seems to be quite different from the manga or the anime... that means i have to twist some of them to go with the story (like Tezuka... :) bwahahha... :D)

Hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writting!! :D hahahaha... :D

**DISCLAIMER: PoT CHARACTERS... NOT MINE... AND YOU KNOW THAT... :D**

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Chapter 3: Emotions

"Promise me you'll be back, Syusuke." A crying Ryoma demanded while tightening the hug between him and Syusuke.

"I promise, Ryoma. I'll come back for you."

"LIAR!" The small Ryoma he was hugging pushed him away and began to grow larger. "YOU DIDN'T COME BACK FOR ME!" Ryoma's soft voice faded away and was being replaced by a hoarse, scary one. "YOU CAME FOR HIM!"

Syusuke jumped out of bed. 'It's only a dream. Nothing more.' But even if it was only a dream, Syusuke was never once been that scared in his entire life. He panted for some air to clear his mind of that thought. He asked himself, 'What really is Ryoma in my life? Why do I dream about him?' He glanced at his side and saw a naked figure of Tezuka lying beside him. He found his answer. Ryoma's nothing for him, he has Tezuka, he has everything.

Tezuka's eyes opened slowly and see Syusuke staring at him with emotions of sheer happiness. He rose and grabbed Syusuke by the chin, pulled him closer, and kissed him passionately. "Is something wrong?"

"No. It's only a bad dream. But I'm glad it's over."

"Good thing." Tezuka moved closer to hug Syusuke tightly. "I love you, Fuji."

Syusuke backed away from the hug and complained, "How many times should I tell you? Don't call me Fuji, that's not me, that's my family."

"Ok. I love you, Syusuke. I always have, always will." He glanced at the electronic alarm clock on the side-table. "But now, I have to leave. My wife will wonder where the hell I am." He stood up from bed and carefully fixed his slacks and polo. "So long, Syusuke." Tezuka smiled sweetly and left after seeing Syusuke blow him a kiss.

Syusuke leaned back again on his bed. Glancing at his electronic alarm clock, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I wonder what kind of excuse Tezuka will give for returning home at 3 in the morning." He cuddled himself in his bed and fell asleep quickly.

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Syusuke woke up at the sound of his doorbell. Glancing at the window, he sees Ryoma looking at him happily in his tennis attire. He signalled that he'll just take a quick shower and head down. Ryoma just nodded in response.

In five minutes time, Syusuke was already downstairs. He led Ryoma towards the living room area and asked him to sit down at the couch and wait until he finishes fixing breakfast for the both of them. When breakfast is served, Ryoma took the seat next to Fuji's and started a small talk.

"Are you busy today?"

"Not at all, Ryoma. Have some plans?"

"Well, I was thinking of playing tennis with you, if you wouldn't mind." Ryoma asked shyly.

"I haven't played tennis in ages. Let's finish our breakfast and head to a court."

"I know a really nice court, but it's far from here."

"It's ok. Just leave your dishes on the sink; I'll do them later when we're back. Right now, I'll just change." Fuji instructed and left towards his room switch outfit.

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"Finished?" Ryoma asked as he removed his hat from his head to reveal a green, messy hair that seems to compliment his looks, then head towards the door. Fuji smiled involuntarily. 'So graceful... so beautiful... so seduct...' Fuji snapped out of his trance. 'What the hell are you thinking?!' He grabbed his racket on the cabinet and regrouped with Ryoma who was patiently waiting in his car.

"Took you quite a while. Hop in." Ryoma smirked as Syusuke slipped in the front passenger seat. 'He does have a wonderful ass.' Ryoma smiled and felt the redness of a blush that forcibly rises on his soft, peachy cheeks. He hesitantly tore his eyes from Syusuke's awesome figure and diverted it to the road up ahead, however, no matter how hard he tries; he just couldn't remove the sweet smile glued on his face, well, until Syusuke notices it.

"You seem to be a little smiley today. Care to enlighten me why?" Syusuke chuckled as he redirected his sight to the road.

"Oh nothing, just remembered something funny." Ryoma lied as he force a straight face to his smiling face, which made Syusuke chuckle some more.

"Oh yeah, Tezuka told me about what happened between you and him."

The car was brought to a full stop in the middle of the road. It's just a good thing that traffic wasn't really at its peak. "What did he tell you?" Ryoma asked seriously and looking straight into Syusuke's closed eyes.

"Well, he told me only one thing, so..."

"What is it?" Ryoma was becoming really aggressive by the moment. Syusuke resorted to his last option. He opened his eyes to reveal his perfect sapphire eyes. Ryoma was lost in those azure eyes; he felt as if a cloud of blueness surrounds him and brought him into ecstasy.

Ryoma snapped out of it when Syusuke, now with eyes closed, pat him on the shoulders. "We'll continue to talk about it later. We'll be heading towards the tennis court, remember? Right now, I just want to have fun playing tennis with you." Ryoma just couldn't take it, with those tantalizing eyes, sweet talks, and the sweetest smile he'll ever see, he gave in to Syusuke's will.

The ride towards the tennis court was a soft one, well, half of it, at least. Syusuke and Ryoma was in a rough road, far from the buildings and skyscrapers of the big city. "Um... Ryoma... are you sure this will lead us to a nice tennis court?" Syusuke couldn't help but ask.

"Trust me. It's the nicest in all Japan. Not many people know about this court, so it's not that crowded." Ryoma confidence lightened Syusuke.

"If you say so... but it's so lonely up..."

"We're here." Ryoma said as he unbuckled his seat belt and head outside. He breathes some fresh air and peaked inside the car. "You coming?" Ryoma smiled sweetly.

Syusuke just smiled sweetly and head on outwards. He, too, took in some fresh air. "So... Where's the tennis court?" He asked Ryoma.

"Right. Come with me. We'll have to make it on foot." Ryoma said as he positioned his tennis bag on his back. "Are you up for it?" Ryoma knew that Syusuke doesn't back out to those kind of challenges.

Fuji just smiled and said, "You know me, too well, Ryoma."

"All in a day's work, Syusuke." He replied proudly.

After a short walk, they arrived at a clearing too majestic to describe. Colours explode in this area. A variety of flowers of every colour and every kind seems to be growing in this area. The fresh air complimented the scenery. The clearing itself is surrounded with majestic blankets of cherry blossoms.

Syusuke couldn't believe his eyes. He's dumbfounded at Ryoma's surprise. For a photographic artist like him, this is heaven. 'The long trip was really worth it! This is perfect! It's a good thing I brought my camera along!' He started taking pictures of this wonderful place.

While he was taking pictures, he notices that there's a tennis court in the middle of the glade and that Ryoma was already there waiting for him. He smiled beautifully, and headed towards the court.

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They played really good, considering the fact that none of them really won. The match ended with a tie. Even the tie breaker couldn't decide who won. The only reason why they stopped was because it's already 2 in the afternoon and they had played tennis for the past 5 hours straight, they hadn't eaten their lunch yet, and they should head back to the city already.

Syusuke was cleaning his lunch when he caught a glimpse of Ryoma removing his wet shirt. He was hypnotised by the seductive figure of Ryoma's naked body. He felt a slight blush rise in him that made him snap out of his trance and finish cleaning their lunch. 'Two can play that game.' Syusuke sadistically thought.

Syusuke was the one changing this time. He started pulling his shirt off slowly. Even if he couldn't see it quite clearly, Ryoma was brought to a complete halt, with mouth wide open. When he completely uncovered his abdominal area, he turned around so that the only thing Ryoma could see is his back. He pulled the shirt off much slower than before. He could imagine clearly Ryoma's thirsty looks.

He completely removed the shirt off and grabbed the extra shirt when he felt Ryoma's arms grappling and squeezing his naked body. He squeezed even more when Syusuke held his hands. "Ryoma."

"Syusuke. Don't." There was complete silence on the majestic clearing. The only sound that was audible is the rustling of the wind through the beautiful cherry blossoms.

Ryoma couldn't let go of Syusuke. His emotions have taken full control of him. Then, out of the blue, he said, "I love you, Syusuke. I love you. Please say you love me too."

Syusuke could feel that Ryoma's weeping. He helped Ryoma removing his arms around his torso. He faced Ryoma with apologetic looks. "I do love you, Ryoma. It's just not the way you want me to. I wouldn't want something like this get in between our friendship, Ryoma."

Ryoma felt his heart break into a thousand pieces. He was literally crying rivers. He was speechless; he doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know what else to do. 'This was the perfect place, the perfect timing. Why couldn't I make him love me?' Ryoma was breaking apart. He couldn't take the emotions that are in command of him. Disappointment, Hatred, Despair, Passion, Love. He couldn't take it all. He fainted.

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When Ryoma woke up, he found that he's no longer on the glaze. Rather, he was in Miyazaki's room. He surveyed the place, trying to find Miyazaki. Since he can't find him, he stood up and walked towards the door. He did stopped when he heard a voice coming from his back. "I won't go out if I were you." He turned to see who it was. It was Miyazaki coming out of the bathroom. "You see, Tezuka's coming over tonight as he usually does. And father strictly instructed me to stop you from getting out of that door."

"Wait, you said that Tezuka usually goes here every night. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're already together."

Ryoma was shocked at what he had heard from the small Fuji. He was very foolish not to notice it. 'Ryoma! How can you be so dumb! You idiot! It's clearly presented right in front of you and you didn't notice it!' Ryoma cursed himself.

Between his releases of anger against himself, he hears thugs and bumps downstairs. He thought it was only himself, but he spots Miyazaki trembling upon hearing those thugs and bumps. He composed himself and tried to focus on the problem of Miyazaki. "It's happening again! There it is again!" Miyazaki shivered as he remembers some dreadful memories.

"What's happening again, Miyazaki?" Ryoma asked as he held Miyazaki's shoulders.

Miyazaki shifted his eyes towards Ryoma's golden ones. "He's going to hurt father again." He said it in a lifeless, emotionless manner.

Shocked at the revelation, Ryoma raced outside only to see Tezuka holding a knife and pointing it to Syusuke. He spots Syusuke trembling, cornered, eyes wide-open. Ryoma thought of the best thing he could do in his mind. He sees a vase and sends it flying towards Tezuka. It hit him directly on the back of the head. He fell, motionless on the floor. Ryoma took the two Fuji out to his car and drove-off, away from where Tezuka was.

They arrived at Ryoma's gentle manor. Ryoma knew this would be the best place to go. His security system is highly advance, equipped with heat sensor and K9 units. He has a number of helpers that keeps the manor nice and tidy.

Ryoma asked his helpers to find Miyazaki a room where he can stay in and some decent clothing. The helpers agreed and escorted Miyazaki to a nice, big room. When they're gone, he went towards Syusuke who was still seating in his chair apathetically. He was deeply traumatized by Tezuka's actions. Ryoma couldn't move him out of the car.

"Syusuke, come. We'll have to come inside, Syusuke." Ryoma said tugging Syusuke outside the car.

He just stared blankly into space. "Tezuka never came that far before."

Ryoma hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear. "I'll stay beside you always, Syusuke. 'Cause I love you." This sent Syusuke weeping silently.

'Is Tezuka really the one for me? Why does it feel so wrong to be with him? Maybe, Tezuka wasn't the one meant for me. I loved him. But somehow, I don't feel the love from him. Was our relationship a mistake?' Syusuke runs these thoughts on his mind until he felt a soft touch on his lips. He closed his eyes and participated on the soft intimate kiss. He feels his life coming back to him. 'Maybe I had the right love at the wrong person.' Then a picture of his beloved wife flashed through his mind. 'No one will ever replace you, my Love.' Then another picture flashed on his mind. This time, it wasn't of his wife nor Tezuka. It was an image of Ryoma. 'Maybe I should give him a chance. He wouldn't be able to replace my wife, since the image of my wife is forever with me.' A picture of Miyazaki ran through his mind.

"Let's go, Ryoma." Syusuke said after having a kiss from Ryoma.

Ryoma smiled sweetly and helped Syusuke out of his car. On the way inside the house, Syusuke whispered something on Ryoma's ear. "I would like to sleep by your side, Ryoma, if you wouldn't mind." Ryoma smiled his most beautiful smile and proceeded to comply with Syusuke's request.

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That's it!! Syusuke is begining to open his heart to Ryoma... however... will Tezuka just allow someone to outwit and outplay him in his own game? Stay Tuned!! :D

Reviews please... :D I need to know how to improve my literary skills especially in story writting... :D You know... the little button down there that says 'Go'... just press it... :D and type what you feel about the story... :D cause... well... i need motivation... :D

Thank you and 'til next time!! :D

- kitoyisme

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	4. Trauma

**Memories from The Past**

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Hey guys!! I couldn't believe it!! I was able to release a chapter that fast... (considering I also finished the last chapter yesterday, then I worked on a one shot, then I finished this!! hooray!! hehehe... :D

Once again... A chapter started with a dream, just like the previous one... but don't worry... this is the last one... :D the rest is action-packed... (I think)... :D

The end of this fanfic is coming to an end... (unless I decide to insert some scenes to support the timeline... :D) just hang on... :D

Enjoy this fanfic... :D I love writting it!! hehehe... :D And I do hope that you love reading it!! :D

**Disclaimer: Well... PoT doesn't belong to me... :D Just borrowed them so that I can Unleash my Imagination on them... :D hehehe... :D**

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Chapter 4: Trauma

"WHY DID YOU GO OUT WITH HIM, SYUSUKE?! YOU BETRAYED ME!" Tezuka bellowed at Syusuke while holding a knife and pointing the tip right in the middle of Syusuke's eyes.

"Tezuka! We don't need a knife. Put that down and let's talk about it." Syusuke sweats furiously; dripping out of his head like faucet.

"SHUT UP!!" Tezuka pinned him to the wall and plunged the knife deep into Syusuke's abdomen.

Syusuke jumped from bed, gasping for air. He frantically surveyed the scene to see if Tezuka was around. He felt someone's arms grasp his body.

"You're so wet, Syusuke. Are you having a nightmare again?" Ryoma asked while tightening his embrace on Syusuke.

Syusuke turned around and gave Ryoma a hug of his. "It's the same nightmare, over and over again. I don't know how to..."

"Sssshhhh... I don't want to stress you out on explaining everything to me, again. It's only a week since I got you out of that bastard's cruelty. I know you don't want to rush things, so let's take it nice and easy."

Syusuke tightened his hug even more. "Thanks, Ryoma."

It has already been a week since Tezuka threatened Syusuke's life, but the scars left from that night was still evident as though it was only yesterday. Syusuke was deeply traumatized at what happened. It's a good thing that there's a person like Ryoma who always stay by his side when he needed a friend.

Since that incident, Syusuke never heard anything from Tezuka. He did try to ask Ryoma about that topic, however, Ryoma always answer with the same statement. "Right now, it's best if you don't know. I'll tell you in the right time, though." Why would Syusuke even bother to ask anything about Tezuka? After what he threatened to do to him, Tezuka should be out of his life for good. And this is what Ryoma has in mind.

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However, the next turn of events is about to turn the whole story upside-down and inside-out.

It's already a month passed since the two Fuji's stayed in the Echizen Manor. Syusuke started accepting the fact that Tezuka is just isn't for him. He starts going out with Ryoma to know him better and maybe, to be his lover. Miyazaki seems to be in approval of the idea that his father and Ryoma are together.

One cloudy afternoon, while Miyazaki's still in school and Ryoma's in his office leaving Syusuke alone in the manor, a ring from the door bell alarmed the silent house. Syusuke sees a helper of the manor heading to the front gate to see who it was and tried to stop her.

"I'll get that. That should probably be the mail I'm expecting this week." Syusuke said and sent the helper to clean the kitchen that was quite a mess after he cooked some pastries for Ryoma and Miyazaki.

Ryoma's gate wasn't quite like any normal gate. It's one of those gates that look very much like a very huge metal wall. You won't be able to see the other side unless you open it.

Syusuke's right, it was the mailman delivering a parcel containing some spices from where Syusuke's mother was living. He signed some papers saying that he had received the package and waved the mailman good-bye as the delivery van took a turn at the next intersection.

He was about to close the gate when he notices a very familiar car parked on the other side of the street. The car seemed so familiar, but he couldn't remember who owned that car. His eyes fluttered open as he sees the driver step-out of the car. It was Tezuka!

Lightning starts to flash all around. A very huge thundercloud was forming rapidly as the skies started to rumble. Tezuka was approaching to where Syusuke continues to stand. Muga no Kyouchi suddenly enveloped Tezuka, except this Muga no Kyouchi isn't the same Muga no Kyouchi that Tezuka use at tennis. This Muga no Kyouchi isn't coloured white, instead it's coloured purple. It's a dark Muga no Kyouchi.

Syusuke shivered at the sight of the dark Muga no Kyouchi. He tried to close the gate but he couldn't move his muscles. He always tells himself that Tezuka isn't the right person for him. He keeps on telling himself to forget Tezuka. But he just can't do that, he tried to forget him, but somehow, he couldn't. His love for Tezuka was very strong for him to forget.

"Hi, Syusuke." Tezuka coldly greeted. There was loud bang of thunder then rain violently poured.

A helper attended Syusuke. Syusuke gave the helper the parcel and instructed her to put it on the counter at the kitchen. He then faced Tezuka and greeted him in the same manner as Tezuka greeted him. "What do you want?"

"I've heard that you were staying here, so I checked how true the rumour was. I see that it's perfectly true." Tezuka explained as another lightning flashed and another bang of thunder came.

"Get away." Syusuke apathetically commanded as he tried to close the gate.

Tezuka's reflexes were fast enough to put his foot on the gate to stop it from being closed. "You can't escape me, Syusuke! I won't forget what happened one month ago! And I promise you, I'll get back on you! IF IT'S THE LAST THING I'LL DO!" Tezuka removed his foot from the gate and chuckled devilishly.

Syusuke wept silently in the rain. His mind ran on all the words Tezuka released. His head ran with thoughts of "What if's" and "How about's". He cried like he never cried before. 'What am I to do?'

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Ryoma arrived from work early and found his beloved Syusuke leaning on the gate, lost in deep trance. Ryoma quickly approached him to see what's wrong. He tried talking to him but he continued to stare blankly into space. Even a kiss wouldn't break him from his comma.

"Syusuke! What happened?! Who did this to you?!" Ryoma asked worriedly as Syusuke doesn't reply.

Rain continues to pour violently and Ryoma is really worried about Syusuke. He has never seen Syusuke so lifeless like this, ever. He doesn't know what to do about him.

He yells at the crowd of helpers looking at them by the porch. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?! CALL THE DOCTOR!!" Everyone scurried inside.

He redirected his focus on Syusuke. "You'll be alright, Syusuke. As long as I'm here, no one will be able to hurt you." He gently kissed Syusuke on the forehead before embracing him tightly. "Hang on tight, Syusuke." He whispered lightly as he cradled Syusuke's cuddled form.

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"Mr. Echizen," the doctor said. "Syusuke doesn't have any medical ailments, whatsoever. He's suffering psychologically. He's traumatized by something. Do you have any idea what that something is, Mr. Echizen?"

"Let's drop off the formalities, shall we? Well, there is this one event that took place a month ago that left him traumatized."

The doctor raised his eyebrow signalling that he's listening as to what Ryoma is saying. Ryoma narrated what happened at Fuji's house.

"And have you reported this to the authorities?" The doctor said pushing his glasses farther inward.

"I've tried, but they called it _'nuisance'_ and disregarded the case."

"I see. Ok, Ryoma, I'll be going now. I still have a lot more patients waiting on the clinic. Just call me when you need my service. Oh yeah, Syusuke's fine now. All he needed was some output of his emotional worrying. Let him rest for about 2 -3 hours." The doctor waved and left.

"Take good care of yourself, Inui." Ryoma smirked and attended Syusuke.

He brushed Syusuke's soft, flowing hair. 'What had happened to you, Syusuke? Why wouldn't you tell me?' Syusuke twisted and turned from his sleep. He found a comfortable position, hugging and cuddling with Ryoma. Ryoma merely smiled and took a nap also.

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Around 4:30 in the afternoon, Syusuke jumped out of sleep. This woke Ryoma up also. Ryoma looked at his watch and told Syusuke to dress up; it's time to pick-up Miyazaki.

On the way towards the school, Ryoma had to inquire about what had happened earlier. Syusuke was quite hesitant to tell it to Ryoma; however, he also thought that it would be best if he did tell Ryoma what happened so that he would know what to do.

"TEZUKA WENT THERE?! AND THE GUARDS DID NOTHING?!" Ryoma was so mad and furious that he stopped the car completely in the middle of the road.

"Continue driving." Syusuke commanded him. "He didn't really go inside. He stayed out of the gate."

"Hmmmm... Ok, I'll think what should be done." Ryoma concluded the conversation and silence came. No one really talked until they arrived at the school.

Miyazaki wasn't where he usually waited. Syusuke tried calling his phone, but it was turned-off.

"Ryoma, I'm worried about Miyazaki. He's phone is off. And I remembered what Tezuka said." Syusuke paused. "What if Tezuka did..."

"Don't think like that!" Ryoma yelled. "Come, let's find him." Ryoma stepped out of the car and went inside the school searching for his lover's son. Syusuke followed his example and went on another way to find his son faster.

After a short while, everyone was searching for Miyazaki. He was nowhere inside school premises. The police were already there, and the school's officials have already turned the whole place upside-down searching for him.

Syusuke and Ryoma waited patiently at the Director's Office with an officer and the director of the school. Syusuke has been weeping silently for his son, he tried so much not to burst out again, he didn't want another shot of sedative on him. This was also Ryoma's scenario.

A ring sounded in the whole room, they looked around and found out that Syusuke's phone was the one that's ringing. The number did not register in Syusuke's phonebook. He answered it and put it on Loud-Speaker Mode.

"Hello?" Syusuke answered softly.

"Fuji Syusuke?" The deep voice asked on the phone.

"Speaking. Who is this?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. I have good news and bad news. I'll start off with the good news. Congratulations! Your son got an A on his most recent quiz in science! The bad news is... He's held captive..."

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Oooooohhh... so that's Tezuka's plan... :D heheheh... :D intriguing... :D

And There you Have it!! One chapter fresh from the oven!! heheeh... :D

Did you enjoyed it? Did you? I need to know what you think about it... :D You don't even need to send me money to review... :D just click that small button labeled 'Go' and type in your comments, Reviews, suggestions, reviews, everything, reviews, etc... :D

Thank you for those who continually support this fanfic... :D I've dedicated most of my time writting this... :D hehehe... :D

'Til next time!

-kitoyisme

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	5. Ultimatum

**Memories from The Past**

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So here it is... :D hehehe... :D I like this chapter... :D (but i tell you... it has does kind of things you see on old Filipino Action Movies... heheh... :D)

The characters are a little... um... different from the anime... that's my fault... sorry 'bout that... I'll just try doing those on other stories that I'll write in the near future... :D hehe... :D (I can't do it in this story cuz it's a little bit too late... :D)

Thanks for those who review on my stories... :D I like your reviews... :D Please continue to review... :D

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!!**

**I feel I need to change the rating of this fanfic... **

**um... ****like... **

**transferring it to Rated M...**

**Because of violence and nothing more...**

**so... um...**

**should i? please tell me if i should...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT, ok?**

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**Chapter 5: Ultimatum**

Fuji sat passively at the Echizen manor; Inui is taking care of him while Ryoma is taking care of business to rescue Miyazaki from the hands of God-knows-who. Many thoughts ran through his mind. He's emotionally dead; no responses whatsoever.

"The police are doing everything, Fuji. You shouldn't worry. Ryoma already requested for a death warrant on the kidnappers of your son." Inui comforted Syusuke who was still staring blankly into space. "You should get some sleep."

Syusuke shakily turned his face to Inui's direction. "Miyazaki's my all, Inui. He's every bit of memory I have for my wife. I won't forgive myself if something bad will happen to him." Syusuke's eyes were becoming teary, the happiness found in it vanished and replaced by something unreadable, something empty, and something that's not Syusuke.

Inui shivered by the coma that Syusuke suffers. 'Why is this happening to Syusuke? He doesn't deserve this. Why?'This brought Inui silently weeping. "Syusuke, don't lose faith. Believe that everything will be alright. Believe in it, Syusuke." He hugged Syusuke serenely. "Right now, you should get some sleep. Don't worry, I won't leave you. I'll stay here."

This time, Syusuke responded with a nod. Inui led him to the Master Room gently by the hand and tucked him in the blanket. "Good night, Syusuke." He said as he turned off the lights.

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_Somewhere else_

Miyazaki was bound, hands and feet, on a wooden chair in a dark room. He has blabbered inaudible sounds for hours already. The door suddenly opened. The light coming from the outside made sure that only the person's silhouette is visible from Miyazaki's point of view.

"Remove his mouthpiece." The person to his right quickly complied with his order. He then shoved a tray of food towards Miyazaki.

"What do you want from me?!" Miyazaki bellowed at whoever was listening.

He gave a soft chuckle. He glanced a little unto Miyazaki's direction. "We don't want anything from you." A chuckle sounded across the room followed by the sound of a gun being reloaded. Another man, with purple hair revealed himself to Miyazaki's sight. "You're merely a diversion for the real thing. But don't worry, we won't hurt you. Well, not yet." The door closed once again.

A table was placed in front of Miyazaki and a plate of unknown food was placed on it. "Dig in."

"And how do you suppose I do that with my arms tied?" There was silence. Then he felt something shoving him into the table, hitting the stack of food in front of him.

_

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__Somewhere else_

Ryoma sat at his desk, feeling really exhausted. He has been given 3 shots of sedative already this evening. He has been arguing for the last couple of hours to his attorneys. 'They haven't asked for anything, yet. They just called and didn't demand.' He was filing the paper's he has been taking care of for the whole night when someone knocked on the door.

"It's open." He looked up to see his secretary.

"This came in earlier." The secretary approached Ryoma and gave him a letter with no _'From'_ address.

He sent the secretary away and examined the letter for quite a long time. He opened the letter and begun to read.

"This is..." Ryoma blurted out with eyes wide open, "their ultimatum!"

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_Ryoma Echizen, don't be foolish enough to tell this to the authorities. I have hired someone on the Police Department to, let's say, oversee things. He'll tell me when you make a wrong move. _

_I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Keigo Atobe. I think you've heard about me already. I'm among the policemen's Most Wanted. I've been trading heroin for quite some time already. You see, I have your boyfriend's son. An associate of mine wants something done._

_Let me get to the point. Tomorrow, 9:30 PM, at the cement factory, bring Syusuke. Meet you there._

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He left his office even though he hasn't finished filing the papers yet. He took his car and drove extremely fast. Buildings blur at his sight, Adrenaline rush through his veins. Before he knew it, he was at his house.

"Where's Syusuke?!" Ryoma asked out loud for everyone to hear as he banged his front door.

"He's sleeping, already. You shouldn't wake him up." Inui said as he appeared from the bedroom.

The door from behind Inui opened and out came Syusuke. His stressed-out face was indescribable. He posted a worrying look on Ryoma. "Yes?"

Inui signalled Ryoma not to disturb him, which Ryoma understood perfectly. He glided towards Syusuke's side and whispered, "Let's sleep. I was worrying about you."

Syusuke didn't say anything, instead, he fulfilled Ryoma's request. Ryoma's hand positioned itself on Syusuke's waist and assisted Syusuke to the bed. The both of them comforted each other in a good night sleep.

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Ryoma woke up early next morning. He combed Syusuke's hair with his hands and kissed him at his forehead. Syusuke responded to this with a slight smile.

"I won't leave you today, Syusuke. I'll stay by your side." Ryoma whispered as he kissed Syusuke once again on the forehead. Syusuke responded by tightening the hug between the two of them.

The morning went smoothly, Ryoma spending time with Syusuke. But as the day progresses, Syusuke couldn't help but notice the worried look on Ryoma's face.

"What's wrong, Ryoma?" Syusuke held Ryoma's hand intently. "Something seems to bother you."

Ryoma looked Syusuke to the eye. Syusuke got the message. "Did they do something to him?!" Syusuke shook Ryoma frantically.

"No. They didn't hurt him. They want us to meet with them tonight at 9:30 by the cement factory. 9:30 is fast approaching."

"We should call the police." Syusuke got up and reached for the phone. He was about to dial 911 when He felt Ryoma's soft hand touch on his skin.

"They told me they'll do something if we'll call the police." Ryoma explained.

"Then what're we going to do?! Just sit around?!" Syusuke was once again furious.

"I know what to do. Come." Ryoma led the way to the basement. It was relatively dark and creepy in there. Spider webs consume a vast amount of space.

"Here." Ryoma said as he pulled a box out of one of the shelves. He dusted the box and presented it to Syusuke.

Syusuke gave him a puzzled look. "Open it."

He opened the box hesitantly. His eyes darted out of their enclosed eyelids. What he saw was what he never imagined Ryoma to have. It was a handgun equipped with a silencer and a magazine full of ammo. "Why do you have such a thing like this?!"

"For safety purposes. You'll never know when you'll need one." Ryoma said as he grabbed another box similar to the one Syusuke was holding. "I have two, just in case."

* * *

Ryoma glanced at the clock at his dashboard. "9:18," he said out loud. Syusuke, sitting on the passenger seat and looking at everything that passes by, glanced at the clock then at Ryoma.

"If something's going to happen to me, please take care of Miyazaki for me, Ryoma." Syusuke beseeched.

"Nothing's going to happen to you. Not now, not ever." Ryoma declared signifying the end of that discussion. Silence came in next.

"9:27," Syusuke said as they arrived at their destination. He placed his gun on his back, held in place by his leather belt. "Let's head on inside." Ryoma followed him.

The moment they arrived inside the abandoned factory, Syusuke's watch ticked off an alarm. "9:30," he blurted out.

"Come out, Atobe!" Ryoma bellowed which echoed through the vast emptiness of place.

The gates of the factory closed abruptly followed by the lighting of one light bulb. The light focused on one spot of the flooring. It revealed Miyazaki bounded on a chair. Syusuke started to sprint towards Miyazaki, but Ryoma stopped him from doing so.

Two figures came towards the light. One was Tezuka, the other was Atobe. Tezuka put his hands on Miyazaki's shoulders.

"Hi, Syusuke, Ryoma" Tezuka greeted them scarily.

"What do you want, Tezuka?!"

"I already told you that, yesterday." Tezuka said as he removed his hand from Miyazaki's shoulders and placed it on the cringing teeth of his victim.

"Don't touch him, Tezuka! Or I'll shoot!" Syusuke threatened as he and Ryoma pulled their guns from their places and pointed them at Atobe and Tezuka, then followed a sound of innumerable guns being reloaded. Adrenaline rush at maximum speed into their systems.

"I won't do that if I were you." Atobe warned with a devilish smile. Then, with one snap of his fingers, all the lights in the factory opened. It revealed a huge number of men holding high-calibre guns pointed at Ryoma and Syusuke.

_To be continued..._

_

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_So... did you like it?! hahahha... :)) :D I'd like to hear what you want to say... :D please continue to review... :D


	6. Shootout

**Memories from The Past**

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hey guys... here's another chapter to this story... :D this should most probably be the second to the last chapter of this story... hehe...

I think it was just a month ago that I had started writing chapter 1... now... it's already closing... hahaha... :)) :D

I like all of your reviews... they inspire me to write really fast.. :D though it's such a cliche... :D

Ok... so this chapter is very filipino action-film material... :D I like those movies... but i didn't realise that I'll put those here... :)) hehehe... :D

Please review... :D since this is the second to the last chapter... :D

**Disclaimer: the same text goes here... :D I don't own PoT charactes... :D**

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**Chapter 6: Shootout**

"You have only two choices," Atobe explained as he walked towards a nearby gunman. "One," A sound of a reloaded gun rang on everyone's ear, "you could put that gun down, be tied to a chair, and maybe, just maybe, be kept alive." Atobe grinned and pointed the gun at Syusuke. "Or would you like to do it your way?"

There was complete silence; for a long time, no one moved, no one talked, no one even breathed. Syusuke was as still as a rock and as beautiful as anyone could ever imagine beauty. He was about to pull the trigger when he suddenly felt a soft touch on his arms. "Syusuke," Ryoma nodded sideways with eyes that ask for understanding and pity. Syusuke understood and lowered the gun he was holding. Nearby gunmen tied them up to a chair and brought them to a dark and empty room. The younger Fuji was also thrown into that dark cell.

"Remove their mouthpiece," Atobe commanded as he exited the dark room. "They deserve a little reunion."

A standby person removed the mouthpieces. Reunited once again, Syusuke flooded Miyazaki with a lot of questions. The standby person moved out of the room leaving the threesome behind.

"Ryoma, how do we get out of here?" Syusuke asked when there was only the three of them left inside the room.

"We wait..." Ryoma answered bowing his head down.

* * *

Back at the Echizen Manor, Inui's waiting for the right hour to call the authorities. Ryoma told him everything about the letter, the factory, Atobe. It was he who advised Ryoma what to do. But most importantly, it was him who'll call the authorities when actions needed to be done.

He picked up the phone. 'Should I really do this?!' He pressed 9. 'This will most likely kill me!'He pressed 1. 'But for a friend, I'll risk my life.' The last digit to complete the ever so famous number combination was punched in.

A woman's voice answered the other line. "911 – Emergency Call Centre, how may I help you?"

"I would like to report a kidnapping incident. Miyazaki Fuji. He's being held captive at the abandoned cement factory near the city borders. I'm afraid there's going to be a shoot-out on the said site." Inui calmly testified.

"Ok sir. Is this coming from the Echizen Manor?"

"Umm... Yes... why?" the puzzled Inui asked.

"Oh nothing, It's just..." The lady didn't finish what she was about to say because two bonnet-wearing men broke into the house and shot randomly at anyone and anything. All the helpers that stayed for the night were all dead, swimming in their own pool of blood. Inui, on the other hand, was half-alive; having been only shot at his left side of the abdomen. His eyesight has become slightly blurred, his hearing abilities seem to be diminishing slowly, all because of the pain the wound induced. He reached for his phone placed on his pants' pocket. He quick dialled the number of the hospital nearest to them. He put the mouthpiece as close as he can to his mouth and shouted for help, as loud as he can.

"Looks like this one's still in good condition." One gunman said as he pointed the gun in between Inui's boxy glasses.

"Yes, I do agree. I don't think we'd want that to happen." The other said as he aimed his gun at the same spot as the other person did.

"Have... mercy... I beg... you..."

BANG! BANG!

* * *

The door towards the captives swung open as Atobe and Tezuka walked in with a radio in hand.

"I thought you would like to listen to this." Tezuka said as he fixed the radio's frequency to pick up the news. "Ah, here it is!" He placed the radio on the table near the three of them. "Listen carefully." With that said, the two demons walked out of the room.

All ears diverted to the radio, waiting for it to broadcast the news of whatever it may be. After a few moments, the newscaster started talking.

"There has been a reported shoot out at _RYOMA's VILLAGE_. It took place at the house of a popular restaurant tycoon, Ryoma Echizen. Everyone except one was proclaimed dead on the spot. Sadaharu Inui was rushed to the nearest hospital and is taken to the Emergency Room to give medical attention."

Ryoma was stunned, shocked at the things he just heard. 'Everyone... dead... everyone... because... of me... everyone...' He blamed himself for the fate his helpers have met.

"Ryoma... It's not your fault." Syusuke tried to comfort Ryoma but the feeling of guilt took over him completely to be responsive of the things happening around him. "Ryoma, I know your helpers mean so much to you. And I know that you mean so much to them, too. They would be disappointed if they'll see you break down. It's not your fault, Ryoma." Syusuke said as he reached out a hand and turned the radio off.

"Dad! Your hands are free!" Miyazaki shouted silently. This brought Ryoma back to life.

"Yes, my son, your father isn't called a genius if he didn't know a little rope trick, took me quite a while to do that trick, though. The ropes were extremely tight." Syusuke untied Miyazaki first before Ryoma. "I couldn't wait anymore." Syusuke whispered at Ryoma's ear.

"So how do you suppose we're going to make our great escape?"

"Simple!" Syusuke said as he jumped up, grabbed a wooden beam suspended used to support the ceiling and pulled himself up. "Coming?"

The two instantly followed. Ryoma surveyed the whole space on the top. It was dirty, as expected, and confined. There was surely escape on this. "Syusuke, I don't see anywhere we use to get out of here."

"We're not going out of here. Don't make a sound." Syusuke transferred to the place where it's vertically aligned to the entrance of their room. A creak sounded through the whole room, a soft thug followed next. Syusuke jumped on the man and knocked him unconscious. He tied the man to the chair and took his two hand guns.

"Come, there's no way to escape there." He threw Ryoma one gun and moved towards the corner of the room.

"Where did your father learn all of this?" Ryoma asked Miyazaki who was following him.

"They were trained to do this when he was still on college." Miyazaki grabbed the man's knife hidden on his shoes. "They've placed a knife here in case their firearms ran out of ammo."

"Are you guys still following?" Syusuke's eyes are wide opened. "Let's go."

Syusuke led the three-manned party towards the maze of the infrastructure like a pro. It seems like he knew every entrance and exit of the whole factory area. Miyazaki couldn't help but wonder, "Dad, why do you know so much about this place?"

"Tezuka and I always played here when we were still younger than you." Syusuke answered without looking back at his other two companions.

Ryoma didn't liked what he heard. He felt quite low. He continued to move forward but he wasn't paying attention to anything at all, he blankly roams his eyes at anything that he caught sight of. His focus came back when he felt someone shoving him on the ground. Gunshots made their way to everyone's ears. "I told you to duck! Why wouldn't you listen to me?!" Syusuke whispered furiously.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok, as long as you weren't heard. But stay focus. They were trained to kill by all means necessary." Syusuke said as he reached at the back for Miyazaki's hand.

"Dad, they're not aiming at us." Miyazaki reported his observations.

"No, they're not. We have a secret ally." Syusuke said as he peaked at what's happening around them.

"They must be my associate's people. I asked for help from them earlier." Ryoma said following Syusuke said as the shootout became more intense.

"Good then. They'll make a good diversion for us. Let's go." Syusuke sprinted to the end of the alley of boxes and machineries. His movement is awesome, gliding silently on the criss-crossed metal floor. The two quickly followed the older one's example. They stopped when Syusuke signalled them to do so. He aimed his gun at something they couldn't see. The trigger was pulled and a shockwave shook the flooring. He disappeared and reappeared in a moment's time. Now, he has the big gun, a Grenade Launcher.

They regrouped. He gave his handgun to Miyazaki, "I hope you wouldn't get to use this." He diverted his look towards Ryoma. "The police are surrounding the vicinity, but Atobe and Tezuka's men aren't giving up. They're putting up a fight against the police and your associate's men. We'll have to find a way to get to a safe place until the place is secured."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Atobe said as he pointed a gun at Syusuke's head. "Stand up, all of you." Tezuka commanded as he appeared from the same place Atobe appeared. "Drop your guns, stand up and move."

The three complied silently. They feared not of their life, but the life of their comrades. They silently walked the way they were supposed to. They didn't realise it, but they were outside already, looking at the huge crowd of policemen and marines in front of them.

"Don't do anything stupid, Keigo. Drop your weapons and surrender." The head of the police ordered using a megaphone.

"NO!" Atobe bellowed. "MAKE WAY FOR OUR ESCAPE CAR OR I'LL SHOOT!"

"Keigo, whatever it is you want, we can give it to you. Just drop your gun."

"NO! IF YOU WON'T MAKE WAY, I'LL SHOOT THEM DEAD!" Atobe threatened as he shoved Ryoma to the floor. The police didn't have any choice but to make a slight way.

When Atobe and Tezuka's focus was on the policemen clearing the way, Miyazaki grabbed Atobe's hand and shoved him to the floor like he was just a pyramid of cards.

Seeing Tezuka move his gun to aim at Miyazaki, Syusuke kicked Tezuka's hand so that the gun flew away towards a random direction. He applied some martial arts he learned when he was still young and threw Tezuka to the floor. He whispered something into Tezuka's ears. "I had loved you truly, Tezuka. It's you to be blamed because our relationship didn't work out."

The policemen from all around made their way towards the five people. Everyone was busy taking care of Syusuke, Ryoma, and Miyazaki. Ryoma took a glance at Syusuke who was busy being taken care of, then to the building where the shootout was stopped. 'What a night!' He then spot one of Atobe's accessory aimed a small handgun towards Syusuke.

"Syusuke! Look out!" All eyes diverted to Ryoma as he dived towards Syusuke, blocking Syusuke from the cheap attack. There was a loud bang. Blood flew from Ryoma's shoulders. The next thing everyone heard was the call for ambulance and the siren of the vehicle. Ryoma was taken to the nearest hospital as fast as possible.

* * *

So there you have it... :D heehe... :D I purposely left the ending part open... because there's still yet another chapter waiting to be writen... :D hehehe... :D

But I do hope that you liked it... :D hehee... :D (The last chapter will bring an end to the story... :D)

and please review... :D


	7. The End Or Is It?

**Memories from The Past**

* * *

Hello... This is finally it... chapter 7... story ender... hmmmm... Or is it? :D heheheh... :D I had fun writing this chapter... I didn't know what to write on this chapter at first... I was thinking twice if I'd make it end in tragicness (like my other one-shots), simple happiness (which could be quite boring and not suitable as a story ender), or this... bwahahahha... insert evil laugh here

So this chapter thoroughly settles everything in... :D hehehehe... It's quite hard for me to write something like this... well... the first part of the chapter was quite troublesome... tiring very much... I didn't know what to write... so I wrote a one-shot and the chapter one of a random story that generated on my head... :)) hahaha... :D

This chapter will reveal the name of Syusuke's wife... :D hahahaha... :)) :D also... someone will make a late appearance in this story here... hehehe... but as they always say... better late than never, don't you think? :D heheheh... :)) :D

I was thinking of making a sequel of this story... you'll learn later as you read through this chapter why I would like to make a sequel of this story... :)) :D :) bwahahahha... :D so enjoy on this chapter... cause this is the last chapter of this story... :)) :D (and maybe the first of the next story... hehehe...)

Oh yeah... there's a religious scene down there... just be aware of it... ok? hehehe... :D don't comment against that... please... :D

**Disclaimer: PoT?... not mine...**

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* * *

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Chapter 7: The End... Or Is It?

The rolling bed skimmed through the hallway towards the Emergency Room just across the Receptionist's Desk. Syusuke was asked to sit on the waiting bench beside the door leading to the inside of the Emergency Room. Miyazaki wasn't with him; the ambulance is already full with the medics, Ryoma and Syusuke. There's just not enough space for him.

He sat impatiently at the bench he was requested to sit on. He rubs his hands to his face as he reflected on the events that occurred this evening. 'This wouldn't have happened if I didn't go to that meadow... Now, look... Ryoma's fighting for his life while I sit here, doing nothing.'

He lifted his head to see a receptionist approach him. She sat beside him and gave him a slight pat. "Relax. It'll be just fine."

Syusuke smiled at the woman. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Do you pray?"

"Um... not really..." Syusuke's smile faded away. "I never really believed that a bunch of words and a Hebrew 'yes' would do anything... It's just... it wasn't really logical..."

The girl receptionist slightly frowned. "Oh... Is that so?"

"But it's ok for me." Syusuke brightened his face again. He suddenly felt that maybe, prayers do mean a lot, including saving a dying man's life. "Would you mind if you pray for the person inside the Emergency Room?"

The receptionist flashed a huge smile on his face. "I would be honoured to do so. Let's start?"

"Ok, let's."

Syusuke bowed down, closed his eyes, and opened his heart. 'Maybe this is actually real. Maybe prayer is something other than nothing.' He listens carefully to the words that came out of his seatmate's mouth. Each word, though they may only be words, have struck his once cold heart. He has found the essence of prayer; to change the person who prays. He suddenly believed that there is a God that envelops people, not to threaten them, but to protect and supplement them. He didn't realise it but he was crying. Tears fell silently on the floor beneath them.

"Amen."The girl concluded the prayer and smiled at Syusuke. Syusuke smiled in return. "Thanks for letting me pray to your friend."

"The pleasures mine." After a slight hug, the girl went back to her desk and resumed her work while Syusuke sat up straight with a renewed spirit.

A few moments later, the doctor appeared on the door and smiled. "Ryoma's fine now. But he needs to rest." He escorted Syusuke to a private room where Ryoma will be transferred tomorrow morning. "Mr. Fuji, Ryoma will not be seeing anyone else until tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry, doc. I'll return home today, I have to prepare all of Ryoma's stuff to bring here." Syusuke said to the doctor.

"Yes, Mr. Fuji. Thank you for understanding. I must be going now." The doctor left after a short bow. Syusuke turned and walked towards the front door of the hospital. On the way, he felt a cold wind rush through him and a spine-tingling shiver ran through his back. He turned to any angle to look for anything weird.

"Freaky..." Syusuke commented as he faced another angle.

"Follow me..." A voice very similar to his deceased wife whispered. Syusuke spun around and saw a lady as white as snow enters another hallway, being followed by her very long gown. Syusuke rushed to the same hallway and found nothing but a long row of doors on both sides of the wall.

"Excuse me." The medical guy said as he tapped Syusuke's shoulders.

"Oh sorry..." Syusuke smiled and stepped aside. He was shocked at who was the patient being transferred to the wards. "INUI!"

"Please, the patient shouldn't be woken. He will be accepting visitations tomorrow morning." The hospital personnel said as he pulled Inui's bed towards the ward where he will be staying.

"Oh, ok." Syusuke looked at the medical team and Inui's bed-laden body entering a room with the number 348. He spun around and contacted the police as to where Miyazaki would be. "What a day. Hello? This is Syusuke, where's Miyazaki?... Oh ok... I see... I'll go there... Bye."

* * *

The next day, Syusuke and Miyazaki entered the Ryoma's room. They also arranged a room beside Ryoma's to be assigned to Inui. They didn't have a good sleep yesterday, the events still troubled them, but it could suffice.

Syusuke was fixing a vase full of flowers; his back facing Ryoma's motionless body. "So, how are you feeling?" He asked without looking back at Ryoma.

"Fine, I guess." He answered as he tried to sit from his bed.

Syusuke finished fixing the floral arrangement and begun helping Ryoma sit up. He positioned Ryoma's head to a more comfortable position and placed a soft kiss on Ryoma's forehead. "Thank you, Ryoma, for everything." A smile made its way towards Syusuke and Ryoma's lips. "Oh yeah, someone left an envelope on the door this morning. There's nothing written on the outside, so I presume that it's for you." He picked up the letter from the cabinet beside the bed and handed it to Ryoma.

Ryoma scanned the paper, front and back. "I'll read this next time." He gave the letter back to Syusuke.

_

* * *

_

One month later

"Ryoma! Congratulations! You're being checked-out by now." Inui reported as he entered the room. "Syusuke's working on your release papers already. He should be here any minute."

"Since when did you get out of your bed?" Ryoma asked as he sat up straight.

"Earlier, fast isn't it?" Inui smiled as he swept the room of everything that Ryoma owns. He then opened the drawer and emptied it. A letter made its way towards his focus. "Ryoma, what's this?"

"That? It's a letter someone left on the door a month ago. I haven't read it."

"Shall I read it?" Inui said as he ripped the letter open. He drag a letter out of the envelope and begun to read it aloud.

* * *

Syusuke. Melody's _(Trivia: Melody is the name of Syusuke's deceased wife)_ death was intentional. Tezuka paid the doctor to give an extra-shot of anaesthesia before the operation. Tyra didn't die because of child labour. She was overdosed.

* * *

The letter softly fell on the floor. Inui, with his hands in mid-air, cringed at the message of the letter. The door squeaked as a step went in. "Hello guys!" Syusuke opened fully the door and let the nurse do her job of removing all the contraptions attached to Ryoma. "Isn't everyone happy? Why is everyone so silent?" Syusuke asked as he smiled his usual smile.

Inui was about to speak of the letter, but was cut-off short by Ryoma. "Everything's fine, Syusuke, we're just scanning through some stuff in this room. Thank you, Syusuke, for fixing everything."

"It's nothing, Ryoma. For you, I'll do anything." Syusuke assisted Ryoma as he stood up.

"It's ok, I can handle it." Syusuke left Ryoma when he was assured that Ryoma could really stand on his own.

"Not one word." Ryoma whispered to Inui who was still standing on the same spot as he entered the room.

A person accompanied Inui into Ryoma's huge limo. "So, would you introduce us to your friend, Inui?" Syusuke asked as he positioned his hands around Ryoma's shoulders.

"Oh yeah, everyone, this is Kaidoh. He saved me the night of the massacre. The two gunmen were about to shoot me in the forehead, but he was there and shot the two down on the neck. He dressed the two as a helper to keep their names clean from the killing. They weren't to be blamed, Atobe and Tezuka is." Inui defended his saviour as the car skimmed through the streets.

"Oh... So I guess you two are dating..." Syusuke said with a huge smile.

Kaidoh glared at the brown-haired guy that just spoke. He was about to plunge a fist of his into Syusuke's cheeks, but was calmed by the caress of Inui. The remaining minutes of the ride was silent where the only thing they could hear was the sound of the engine burning its fuel.

They both decided to settle in Syusuke's old house. It was Ryoma's request to not stay at his house. his big mansion holds the death of many innocent helpers. The massacre left the house empty and silent. No one dared to enter its gates anymore. No one dared to stay near it anymore. The horror of the house marked on everyone's minds how the ruthlessness of man can extend. To kill so many innocent people, no one had imagined such a merciless thing could ever happen.

"Here we are, sir." The driver said as he pulled off right in front of Syusuke's house where Miyazaki awaits them all.

Everyone vacated the car and was greeted warmly by Miyazaki. Ryoma rubbed Miyazaki's brown, flowing hair and gave him a peck on the forehead. "Hello, Miyazaki." A smile made its way towards Ryoma's face.

"Welcome back, father. Now, I have my two fathers." Miyazaki gleefully said for everyone near to hear. "Let's head inside, everyone!" Miyazaki invited as he led the way.

Syusuke was about to follow his son when he notices that his mailbox contains some unread mail. "You three head on. I'll just read this mail. Miyazaki should've prepared some sumptuous snacks." He said as he reached for the inside of his mailbox. The three followed Miyazaki and left Syusuke outside.

He ripped the letter open. It was not a lengthy letter, just a paragraph, written informally. It's more of a telegram. He begun to read the short letter and was stupefied at the message of the letter. He stood motionlessly for a couple of minutes before running towards his house.

_

* * *

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The Letter:

_Syusuke, I'm back. And I want revenge. Run and hide, Syusuke, run and hide. Bring your 3 friends and your son with you, 'cause if I'd catch one of you, I wouldn't think twice on digging one more hole 6 feet deep._

* * *

When Syusuke closed his front door, Tezuka, who was looking on the whole scene from a black car across the street, commanded Atobe to drive the car. Instantly, the black car skimmed through the streets, away from Syusuke's house.

* * *

So that ends this short story/novel... The feelings really wonderful... the feeling of finishing a story of several chapters... yes... it's a little bit short... but hey! It's a beginners' work!! Everyone has their first on everything... it just so happens that this is mine... :)) :D heheheh... :D

See what I mean about having a sequel to this story of mine? well... if I find inspiration on what to write on the sequel... hahaha... :)) :D maybe I could make a sequel to this... hahahahaa... :)) :D

hahahah... :)) :D it's finally over... hahay... I'll miss writting this story... staying up late at night just to finish one chapter of it... :)) :D hahahah... :D it was a really nice experience... hahahah... :D

So please review on this story of mine.. :)) :D I love reading your reviews... I get really excited when I see that someone reviewed on my work... :D heheeh... :D


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